By Erika Butler
The Aegis
HARRISBURG, Pa. — An 18-year volunteer with Whiteford Volunteer Fire Company died Saturday from injures sustained in a traffic accident the previous evening while he was responding to a fire in Harrisburg, Pa., where he was a paid firefighter, a member of the Whiteford company said Monday.
The firefighter, Lt. Dennis DeVoe, who has ties on both sides of the Mason-Dixon Line, was headed to his fire station Friday evening to pick up his gear before responding to a fire in a Harrisburg rowhouse in which child died and others were injured. The accident involving his vehicle occurred a few blocks from the fire station, Harrisburg fire officials said.
The fire’s cause has been tied to a hoverboard that was plugged into a wall socket for charging and exploded, causing flames that set the house on fire, according to The Associated Press.
Lt. DeVoe, who lived in Stewartstown, Pa., was remembered by his colleagues at Whiteford as a “great guy, well-respected in the community, both at home and in the fire service.” His death occurred in the line of duty, according to Harrisburg fire officials.
“He was just a firefighter’s firefighter through and through. Some guys are in it and was really that guy, into it for all the right reasons,” Whiteford Chief Frank Krick said. “Very few have that skill, that attitude, that capability toward that job.”
Lt. Devoe had been with the City of Harrisburg Bureau of Fire for 21 years, Krick said.
According to a news release from City of Harrisburg Bureau of Fire posted on Facebook Saturday, “Lt. DeVoe passed away this evening from injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident on March 10, 2017 while responding to a house fire in the City of Harrisburg. He was surrounding by his family and close friends at the time of his passing.”
Whiteford posted the following on its Facebook page: “It is with great sadness that both the Harrisburg Bureau of Fire and Whiteford Volunteer Fire Company announce the untimely Line of Duty Death of Harrisburg Squad 8 Lt. Denny DeVoe on Saturday, March 11, 2017.”
“Lt. DeVoe was traveling to work on a call-back when he was involved in a traffic accident. He was transported to Hershey Medical Center where he succumbed to his injuries,” the Facebook message continued. “Denny had been an active firefighter with WVFC since 1988 and assisted with the company training. Denny was also a member with the Citizens (Fawn Grove), Eureka (Stewartstown) and Delta-Cardiff volunteer fire companies. RIP Lt. DeVoe, always remembered, never forgotten.”
Lt. DeVoe was returning from a funeral for a colleague when he got the callback to return and help battle the townhouse blaze in Harrisburg, said Krick, who is also a patrol sergeant with the Bel Air Police Department.
“That has a lot of impact — it was senseless,” he said.
Gov. Tom Wolf on Sunday ordered flags to be flown at half-staff to honor Lt. DeVoe, The Associated Press reported. The governor said flags would remain at half-staff at the Capitol Complex until Lt. DeVoe’s interment.
According to www.pennlive.com, the driver who struck Lt. DeVoe’s vehicle at an intersection was identified as Khanyae Kendall, 19, who was allegedly driving a stolen vehicle, Harrisburg police said.
She was arrested after she fled the scene and showed up at a local emergency room, police said, and was charged with with driving under the influence, receiving stolen property, aggravated assault by vehicle, making false reports to law enforcement and other charges.
Krick said he knew Lt. DeVoe for more than 20 years — when Krick was with Fawn Grove Fire Company and Lt. DeVoe was with Delta-Cardiff fire company, both of which have members from both sides of the border between Harford County and York County, Pa.
https://www.facebook.com/abc27news/videos/10155013272150420/
Krick said he was a mentor to a lot of people. Lt. DeVoe assisted with fire company training either as a leader or an assistant for a number of years.
“He was always willing to teach, and learn himself through training,” he said.
He had an impact on a lot of people, Krick said.
“Everybody is still in shock about what happened,” he said. “Now we’re supporting each other and his family, offering assistance to help them out.”
He estimated Harrisburg is about an hour commute from Lt. DeVoe’s home in Stewartstown, which is across the state line from the northeastern corner of Harford County. When Lt. DeVoe wasn’t working, Krick said, he was at the Whiteford firehouse.
As a group, the firefighters support each other, Krick said, by being there for each other, “talking things out.”
Krick is doing his best to work with Harrisburg to “give him a hero’s sendoff, to say goodbye properly,” he said.
Harford County Executive Barry Glassman has ordered the county flag lowered to half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Friday, March 17 “in recognition of Dennis DeVoe’s service to the citizens of Harford County.”
Glassman issued the following statement Monday: “Harford County mourns the loss of Dennis DeVoe, a longtime member of the Whiteford Volunteer Fire Company, who gave his life in the line of duty last weekend in Harrisburg, Pa., where he was a fire lieutenant in the city’s Bureau of Fire. Known as ‘Denny,’ he was dedicated to public safety in all of the communities he served, and our hearts go out to his brothers and sisters in the fire service and to his family and friends. His sacrifice will never be forgotten.”
Copyright 2017 The Aegis